13/10/2025
I'm forever blown away by the stories that come through, from mums who lost their baby or child many years ago, in a time when the unspoken expectation was to simply move on and forget.
I remember telling my Grandfather, right before he passed, about the work I do with Angel Casts. I was nervous, as I wasn't sure how his generation would view bereavement work.
He was surprised, touched, and then tears filled his eyes. He told me that he and Grandma had lost a baby at full term, they hadn't told anyone outside of the 'need to knows'. A sadness washed over his face as he admitted they never saw their baby. They were never told if it was a boy or a girl. They never even knew where their baby was buried.
At that time, doctors, nurses, family and society believed that if parents didnโt know the gender, they couldnโt name their baby. And if they didnโt have a name, they wouldnโt grieve. We know now how heartbreaking and untrue that was.
My Grandad said the grief never left him. That it hurt even more not being able to talk about that child, to include them as part of the family, to have a resting place to visit, or memories to hold.
So it deeply touches me when people reach out and tell us how healing it has been to follow our page, to feel seen, and to know theyโre not alone. Times have changed. We understand now the importance of acknowledging life and loss, of making memories that give grief a place to rest and breathe, through all its many shapes and seasons.
This Baby Loss Awareness Week, we hold in our hearts the 1,083 families who have come through our doors, each one with their own story, their own heartbreak, and their own beautiful memories that have helped to shape the heart of Angel Casts.
This Wednesday we will be lighting candles as part of the Global Wave of Light, to remember all 1083 lives that touched ours, and the many thousands more around NZ who are dearly loved and missed everyday.
x Jen
